01|13 Saison (Mosaic)
Brew By Numbers

a decent and easy saison, but way less complex than some of the bottled beer i have had from these guys, was hoping to see more of that when we visited the brewery as some real eager drinkers, but most of the stuff they had working was pretty basic. that said, this was one of the better ones, with a lot of life from the tap, a tall white head, a glowing yellow color, and a nose of the best parts of mosaic and none of the worst parts. its pineapple and tangerine and papaya, without any cat pee or sweat that it can sometimes have. the grain base is simple and clean, wheat and pils, pale and dry, the only real textural element of interest here is the hop oils remaining and the high carbonation. this could be a little more nuanced on the fermentation side, my only real critique, its real simple and more belgian and vinous than anything, which is nice with the mosaic of course, but we all know this combination, and some brett, spice, or rustic funk would go a long way toward making this more dynamic. good carbonation and fairly light though, and it warms up well. tasty beer, dont get me wrong, but i was hoping for a little more from this one, and all of them in here really, a huge quality gap between the wild bottles i have had and the stuff on draft when we were in...

Hazy, golden color and fluffy white head. Aroma is very bright and floral with yeast esters, a bit of farmhouse funk, hay but also hoppy with nice fruity notes. Taste starts with some yeast character but clean and bright, not cloying at all. Continues with a moderate hop bitterness, flowers, grass and unripe stonefruits. Light, dry body with crisp carbonation. Overall this is a pretty good saison with rustic farmhouse character but also bright, floral hops.

Clearly Mosaic aroma and taste. Clearly dry and phenolic from the Saison yeast. Both are good assests, but they seem estranged from each other. I miss finesse. Decent

 

33cl bottle. Straw yellow, hazy, with a thin white head. Smells like citrus, honey, grapefruit and green hops. Bitter-sweet and quite hoppy for a saison, with notes of grapefruit and honey on top of a brett layer. Easy to drink and refreshing.

Served cool from 330ml bottle into Saison Regal glass.

L) Pale lemon colour, cloudy, lots of lines of small bubbles, very fluffy pure white head.

S) As could be expected from the description, two separate threads; one is the clean lemony citrus of the saison, with the other being a 'dank' odour of basil, oregano or even cannabis from the mosaic hops.

T) Dry bitterness and basil / oregano from the mosaic hops largely overrides the base saison zestiness.

F) The hop bitterness and dryness removes the refreshment of the saison base. The smooth carbonation gives a nice acidity.

O) There's a good saison that has been drowned out by the mosaic hops. I would like to try just their basic saison without any unusual hop additions. Smells great though!

 

Nearly clear, pale golden body with a respectable white head, though the retention could be better. Delightfully aromatic, strongly reminiscent of Gewürztraminer: petrol, rose, lychee and hand cream, but also there are curveballs of pink peppercorn, vanilla, and lime. The flavor is mellow compared to the aroma, but still nicely nuanced. Big on apples and pears, with a rose-and-vanilla profile that reminds me of Turkish delight, plus notes of bergamot peel, lavender, coriander, and vaporous alcohol for zesty balance. It's bone dry, yet soft and luscious. This is a very tasty saison that I suspect would be a big hit with white wine drinkers. Possible food pairings: chicken soup, pho, ackee and saltfish, croquetas, manchego.